The Eclipse Foundation turns 20: The most interesting SE projects

When IBM released the Java development environment (IDE) Eclipse as free, open source software in 2001, the news hit the Java community like a bombshell. Eclipse was better than many of the commercial alternatives.

However, Eclipse is not just a Java IDE, but a platform that was used for many systems engineering projects in the 2010s, such as the SysML tool Papyrus. In 2008, I published a (now hopelessly outdated) book on the subject with Software und Support Verlag.

The Eclipse Foundation was founded in 2004 and is the steering body for the now 419 projects. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Eclipse Foundation - a good occasion for a look back and a focus on the projects that are important for the Eclipse Foundation. Systems Engineering relevant projects.

Eclipse as an Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

Even if Eclipse As Java IDE, the tool has long been used for the development of other programming languages. However, as early as the 2010s, many developers preferred other tools, such as the Java IDE. IntelliJ from JetBrains. This is commercial, paid software. But at the latest since the success of the free IDE Visual Studio Code Eclipse is increasingly becoming a niche tool for software development.

Accordingly, the Eclipse Foundation lists the Eclipse IDE as only the 7th most important initiative of the last 12 months.

The top initiatives of the Eclipse Foundation

The Foundation manages a total of 11 initiatives in their annual report on:

1. Digital sovereignty
   At the latest Europe has gained in strategic importance since 2020 won. The Foundation specifically promotes independent European technologies and participates in research projects, e.g. by integrating Tractus-X into a new digital system for industrial collaboration.
2. Security infrastructure
   The issue of security for data stored at the Foundation is also of a strategic nature. New technologies and procedures have been introduced to make software more secure, e.g. through stronger authentication and vulnerability testing.
3. Community events
   In the last 12 months, the Foundation has organized 15 events with over 14,000 participants. The online community reaches over 100,000 interested people.
4. Automotive software
   The project Software Defined Vehicle is more important than ever in view of current developments in Germany. The aim of this project is to develop a software platform for the automotive industry, with well-known names in the consortium

The strategic members of the Eclipse SDV project include well-known OEMs (BMW, Mercedes, Cariad) and suppliers (Bosch, ZF). The 44 members include companies such as Microsoft, Continental, ETAS, IAV and many more.

5. Enterprise Software with Jakarta
   Jakarta is little known outside the Java community, but is an important platform for the enterprise use of Java.
6. Java IDE
   Even though Java development is no longer the main focus, Eclipse Temurin is still downloaded over 20 million times a month and is therefore still very important.
7. IDE for other languages
   The Eclipse IDE, on which the Java IDE is based, has a modular architecture that is continuously being further developed.
8. Sparkplug: Standard for industrial communication
   Sparkplug 3.0 is now an international standard for secure data exchange. Eclipse has already actively supported standardization several times through reference implementations (e.g. with ReqIF).
9. Open real-time operating system
   Eclipse ThreadX will be an open real-time operating system that is specially certified for safety-critical applications.
10. Good governance for open source
    The OSPO Alliance helps companies and public authorities to use open source technologies strategically and responsibly. THAT manual has been translated into six languages translated.
11. Research and innovation
    New projects are researching, for example, secure networking of devices, artificial intelligence in data processing and software platforms for vehicles. The Eclipse Foundation is actively involved in 31 research proposals.

Eclipse in systems engineering

Many of these initiatives are at least indirectly interesting for systems engineering. However, only a fraction of the more than 400 projects are of strategic importance.

These projects include a number of "old-timers", such as

• Capella - Modeling tool with its own notation and methodology (Arcadia)
• Papyrus - UML/SysML modeling tool
• Lyo - OSLC-Tookit for tool integration
• Vorto - Definition and management of information models for IoT devices
• Sphinx - Management of complex, model-based systems.

Newer (6 years and younger) projects include:

• Kuksa - Platform for connected vehicles (2018)
• ESCET - Tools for modeling, simulation and verification of embedded control systems (2020)
• eCAL - Middleware framework for efficient communication in distributed systems, especially in the automotive industry (2022)
• Muto - Runtime platform for dynamically composable, model-driven ROS software stacks in autonomous vehicles and robots (2022)

Conclusion

Compared to ten years ago, things have become noticeably quieter at the Eclipse Foundation. Nevertheless, there are still many interesting projects for systems engineering. Furthermore, the strategic focus on Europe helps to find a trustworthy partner for the management of projects in the Eclipse Foundation.

Of particular interest to systems engineers is the growing focus on projects relevant to the automotive industry, in which high-caliber partners are also involved. The Eclipse Foundation is a good address for anyone looking for colleagues in this environment.

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